Family Secrets
by stubborn-dreamer
Summary: "Nelson knew that life could hurt them - like had hurt Avery with the early loss of her daughter - but he had also learned one thing: they could be healed. They would heal each other as many times as necessary with the most powerful remedy that existed: love." Avery/Nelson
1. Chapter 1

**A "Navery Version" of the 01x13 episode. It will be two chapters, and can be considered a "sequel" de "Just Realize."**

 **I hope you like it!**

 **Sorry for possible gramatical erros. I'm brazilian, and I'm just learning english still :)**

* * *

The clock read 00:34.

Technically, Avery was already asleep twenty minutes ago, and although her sleep was heavy, Nelson preferred to wait a while longer to be sure. The silence was absolute, and if she woke up, he would have some explaining to do.

Part of him felt bad for doing this in secret, but another part knew that there was no other way. As much as his intentions were good, he was sure that she would not understand. At least not at first.

As slowly as possible, he untangled her arms from his body and settled her on the pillows. Avery took a deep breath, but did not move.

Getting out of bed was a little easier, although it required some care. Moving in the dark was risky, and turn on the light was out of the question. Luckily, the object he needed was right there on the nightstand. Nelson took Avery's laptop and left the bedroom, closing the door slowly and noiselessly.

Outside, in the hallway, he turned on the computer and began his search. What he sought was not the easiest kind of thing to find, but he expected - for the good of his relationship - to find it in the minimum possible time.

Then, as if some deity was listening his prayers, what he was searching was found in less than ten minutes.

The key to everything was a video file.

He did not dare to watch it - Nelson would never violate Avery's privacy that way - just copied the malicious code contained in it and sent it to the right person.

Still, he could not help analyze the frozen image.

It was an Avery maybe ten years younger, but as beautiful as now. Her hair was shorter, and she was blowing soap bubbles. Her face was serene and cheerful, clean of all the melancholy that she had seen carrying since he had met her. It was somewhat like the look she usually had now, after both had assumed a relationship. Nelson was happy with the prospect of having returned to the woman he loved a part of the happiness that apparently had been lost in her dark and so far unknown past.

Once the file has been sent, he took his phone and started typing the message:

"Raven, it's me, Nelson. I just sent you a file. Do not open it under any circumstances! Just store and I explain to you tomorrow. When you receive this message, do not need to come back."

Quickly, he turned off the laptop and returned to the bedroom. To his relief, Avery was in the same position he had left her, backwards and with her head resting on two pillows. He left the computer exactly where it was before and, as quietly as he had gone out, he went back to bed and laid beside her.

This time, Avery seemed to sense the motion and moved, reaching out and groping his side of the bed.

\- Nelson? - she said in a sleepy voice, without opening her eyes.

\- I'm here. - he whispered in her ear - I'm right here by your side.

She murmured something meaningless and sighed, returning to her state of undisturbed sleep. Nelson wrapped an arm around her waist and closed his eyes, concentrating on her soft breathing.

He knew he had just irritate the person who was spying on Avery, and only hoped to be able to do something in time.

* * *

\- Listen, we have a new case. - Avery's voice sounds high and alarmed, and every face in the room turns to look at her - Each of these people woke up this morning victims of a hacker. Recordings of private conversations they had were leaked online.

On the screen, images are displayed with the names and photos of each of the victims. They pass so quickly that it is impossible to memorize.

\- We have a political, an executive, an accountant, a market official. - says Elijah - There is no apparent connection between the victims.

\- This is a specific and unusual type of hacking. - says Krummitz - No emails, no personal photos, only audio files.

\- And none of the devices collected from the victims revealed any evidence of intrusion. - Raven says, casting a discreet but sharp look to Nelson. He looks away and starts to look at Avery.

One of the good things that Nelson saw in having his girlfriend as boss - though he find this very strange most of the time - was that he did not need a specific reason to look at her. At times - times when most people thought he was only watchful to Avery's instructions - he was just admiring her face.

\- Krumitz, I want you to run an analysis in the form of waves in these files. Where, when, and how they were recorded. Nelson, analyze each of the victims devices. Search any point in common between them. Our target has an agenda, we need to know what it is so we can find him.

Avery looks at him quietly for a second and he maintains the look. That was the silent way they had found to say. "I love you, see you soon."

Then, she leaves accompanied by Elijah.

Once they are out of sight, Raven looks around, and when she is sure that Krummitz is properly busy, she approaches Nelson.

\- What is going on? - she asks in a low but alarmed voice - What is that file you sent me last night?

\- Are you with it? - Nelson whispers.

\- Yeah. - she takes a small red flash drive of her pocket - I have it right here.

\- Great.

Nelson reaches out to catch it, but Raven moves away from his reach.

\- I will not give it to you before knowing what is it and what you are doing.

\- I promise I'll explain later.

\- Nelson. - she says, trying to keep her voice down - You know we have an FBI protocol that must be followed, and they take these things very seriously. If this is not a case, you can go to jail and me too, because you made me an accomplice. So I'll ask again: What is going on?

\- I can not tell you now. - he whispers insistently - First, I need to talk to Avery.

Nelson reaches out again. Raven hesitates for three seconds and then sighs, defeated. She puts the pen drive on his hand almost aggressively, and glares at him.

\- You're unbelievable!

At that moment, Krummitz and some other people look at them frowning.

Quickly, they move away and return to work.

* * *

"It's easy to me steal them. I started stealing a few dollars of the cashier at every shift."

" Sometimes I imagine killing him. I'm afraid, really, of to do this one day."

"I feel so guilty every time I look in my wife's eyes and say that I was working late when in fact I was with other woman."

"He was fifteen, and I was the math teacher. I never had the intention of having sex with him. It just happened."

One by one, the recordings fill the silence in the room. Avery is stopped listening intently, with one hand resting on her face. On her left are Elijah and Nelson, and on the right, Raven and Krummitz.

\- It sounds like a confession. - Suggests Krummitz.

\- Lower the volume on the main track and turn up the sound environment. - Elijah asks with a puzzled expression.

Raven makes what is requested, and a sound in common is heard on all tracks.

\- It's sound of water? - Elijah asks frowning.

\- Yes. - responds Krummitz - is the only one sound that is repeated in all the files.

From this information, the pieces will falling into place one by one in Avery's mind. For a moment she considers the possibility of being wrong, but she knows that moment of hesitation is just a defense mechanism of her brain. She had heard voices and confessions like those hundreds of times in her life.

\- They were all recorded in the same place. - she concludes - There are hesitations, moments of defense, and finally, relief. These are not confessions, are sessions. There are therapy sessions. The confidential files of the victims were hacked.

Since the day she had joined the FBI with the mission to hunt down cybercriminals, Avery never imagined one day stand before a case exactly like the one she herself had lived. This brought a bitter taste in her mouth. It was as if she were indirectly living all the nightmare again.

\- And all the same therapist. - Elijah says finally.

She feels Nelson tense beside her. He do not looks in her eyes, but she realizes his fists clenched and his lips tight in a rigid line. He's her boyfriend, after all. He knows exactly what she is feeling.

\- I'll make a call, get an address. Elijah, Krummitz, come with me. Let's go.

Avery moves away her feelings to the back of her mind and focuses. Even though the situation affected her intimately, that was just a coincidence - a sad and cruel coincidence - and the case was in her hands.

* * *

Standing in front of the glass wall of the office, Avery feels that her head will explode.

Face her ghosts indirectly through a case wasn't the biggest surprise of the day, because now she was sure that the unfortunate coincidence was not just a coincidence.

When entering the office and finding the body, for a moment, Avery saw herself on the floor of her office ten years ago, dead. The similarity between what happened to her and the case that now she was investigating made it impossible do not make the comparison.

Her career was ruined, but she was alive and well. Richard Chan had not had the same luck.

In the office was the source of water heard in the recordings, and also there was that object. Once Avery saw it, she knew it was not a coincidence, it was a message.

\- We have a suspect. - Elijah's voice sounds from the door - The printing extracted from the hourglass we collect from Dr. Chan's office.

\- Did you get a name in AFIS?

\- Yes. In fact, it was in the FBI database. A reference printing.

\- It was mine. - says Avery, mechanically.

\- You do not seem surprised. - answers Simon.

\- That hourglass caught my attention. I had one like that on my desk when I was a psychologist ... until one day it disappeared.

\- That was a long time ago. - Elijah takes a step ahead - Do you think it is the same one?

\- You can not argue with the evidence. - she insists - My print was in the glass, and I did not touch anything in the crime scene. So, or it is the same one or someone created a lot of trouble to plant my print.

\- I get the feeling that you know more than you're telling us.

Avery sighs and shakes her hands, feeling helpless.

\- I do not know what I know, Simon.

\- Avery, four more recordings were released. Someone also leaked details of Dr. Chan's murder investigation. More importantly: your personal involvement could to compromise this investigation. So, at least tell me what you think you know.

At that moment, Nelson comes through the door almost running. His face is scared.

\- Avery, I need to talk to you.

She has the urge to run up to him and touch him, but she holds in the way, remembering that they are not alone.

From the beginning, the two had agreed to have the maximum possible care with their relationship in front of other people. Of course, everyone knew that they were a couple, but Avery and Nelson struggled to maintain their relationship purely professional in the work, and they avoided any public display of affection in front of the team.

Of course, sometimes it was more difficult than others.

\- Nelson? What happened?

\- It's very important. We can talk? - he looks at Simon and Elijah - Alone?

\- Excuse? - Avery asks to Simon and Elijah, somewhat disconcerted

\- It's ok. - simon says.

The two leave the room with suspicious looks, and so they go, Nelson runs to Avery.

\- What is going on? - she whispers, now using the affectionate tone that identified her as his girlfriend.

\- I need your cell phone.

\- Why?

\- Trust me. It's very important.

Reluctantly, she delivers him her phone, and he puts it in the package.

\- Is your personal laptop here?

\- No. You know I leave it at home. Why?

\- I did not want to tell you this now, not here, but after what happened today, I do not see another way out. - he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath - Avery, someone is spying on you.

Avery's eyes widen, and a cold shiver runs down her spine.

\- How do you know that?

He contracts his lips and looks down, in a clear demonstration of guilt.

\- Because I was spying on you.

Strangely, Avery is not surprised by what he says. Because somehow, she knows what Nelson is saying is just a detail of something much bigger.

She tilts her head, signaling for him to continue.

\- On my first day here, you told me your psychology practice has been hacked, and you had not caught the guy. Well... that stuck in me.

Avery feel a mixture of pride and fear while understanding what he is saying.

\- You tried to find my hacker?

Nelson nods.

\- At first, I saw it as a challenge, but as my feelings for you have changed, it became something personal. So I searched in the Deep Web ...

\- Nelson ... - she speaks softly, afraid that someone listen - You violated the FBI protocol.

He shakes his head.

\- Look, I know. But I thought ... that whoever hacked you had to keep the files somewhere. Not in a personal device, but in a safe place.

Avery's breathing gets stuck in her throat, and her heart starts to beat faster.

\- You're telling me ... you found my files?

\- Yes. But now the hacker have new information about you. Current documents, photos, recordings of your phone conversations.

\- No. - she says defensively - That's impossible. The FBI tests vulnerability every three months. My devices were scanned last month, and they were clean.

\- I know. That's why I did not tell it to you immediately. I needed to be sure, and I did. - he sighs - Last night.

Avery frowns, replaying in her mind the night before.

They took a drink together after work, then watched a movie, talked about trivial things for fifteen minutes and finally slept. Together.

Nelson had not left her side at any moment during that time. What could he have done?

\- After you slept, - he explains - I took your laptop and searched for the RAT. I found it with a personal video file, and downloaded the malicious code. - Nelson shows her a red flash drive. - I'm with it right here. Come with me.

Without seeming to mind the discretion protocol that the two had imposed themselves, he takes her hand and they run to the lab next door.

Krumitz is staring at a computer screen, so focused that not even blinks.

\- Perfect timing. - he says when sees them - I just identified the trojan in Dr. Chan's computer. It gave to the hacker complete control of the device.

Nelson runs to the nearest computer and connects the USB drive. Avery watches everything with fear and anticipation.

\- ... he accessed the doctor's files and could, remotely, turn on and off the microphone ...

When the file appears on the screen, Avery freezes.

That file.

\- I could not identify the trojan in the scene because it was an unknown exploit. - Krumitz continues speaking, but his voice sounds like something very distant in Avery's mind - I think it was created by an old school hacker. Even today, an impressive work.

So, Nelson accesses the malicious code, and a blue window appears on the screen.

\- This is it.

Krummitz frowns and approaches the computer.

\- What's going on? - he looks at the blue window and gasps - And where the hell did you found that code? That is it! That is the code I found in Dr. Chan's computer! That's how the target was able to open the microphone on Dr. Chan's computer and listen everything. Then, he recorded the sessions in his own device.

\- Nelson discovered it in my laptop.

\- Wait ... what?

\- Yes. - Nelson replies without looking up from the computer - It took me a long time.

\- It means, - Avery concludes, feeling ice in her heart - that whoever hacked Dr. Chan is the same black hat who hacked me. - she swallows - He's back.


	2. Chapter 2

**This is the second and final chapter! I hope you like it! :)**

* * *

\- So, you were all this time looking for Avery's hacker? - Raven asks, drumming her fingers on the table.

\- Well... yes. - Nelson shrugs - She told me about him on my first day here, and since then, I was a little obsessed.

\- Defending the honor of your girlfriend. - she says, smiling corner - Nice. Very romantic.

He thinks he has made a very surprised face, because Raven starts laughing.

\- She wasn't ... she was not yet my girlfriend! I mean, before, when I started to investigate and...

He sighs, frustrated. His cheeks are hot, and he is sure that the blush on his face just is not noticeable due to the dark tone of his skin. Talking about Avery with his friends was something very, very embarrassing.

\- Relax, Nelson. - she raises an eyebrow mockingly - It's just a joke.

The door behind them opens, and they turn to look.

Krumitz enters carrying a pile of packages and on each there is one laptop. He puts the packages on the table and takes the backpack of his back.

\- This is really heavy. - he takes a deep breath - Here are all the computers that Avery had since she was hacked for the first time.

Raven runs an amazed look to the packages and nods.

\- Okay. - she walks to the table and begins to unpack the computers one by one - We have a lot of work to do.

\- Hey, guy. - Krummitz touches Nelson's shoulder - I think it would be a good idea you stay with your girl tonight. She is shaken, you can see in her eyes. Avery certainly needs you now.

Nelson nods. Strangely, he do not feel embarrassed when Krummitz refers to Avery as "his girl."

\- I know, and I'll do it. Thanks for worrying.

\- So ... - Raven's voice draws attention of both - Each time Avery has a new PC, she transfers a video with an embedded trojan.

\- Yeah. - Nelson agrees - And every new transmission, she infects herself. When she clicks the video on her new computer, the hacker takes total control.

\- So, to find the hacker, we need to find the first device that he infected, that he touched. It is the only one that can lead us to him.

\- Sounds great. - says Nelson - But it is not here.

\- Yes, but we have the computer of Dr. Chan, that was infected directly by the hacker. - Raven crosses the room - It's here we'll start.

Nelson watches her and suddenly remembers the terrible day when Avery was injured, and Raven had huged him in the hospital, telling him she already knew of his feelings for her, and promising that all would be okay.

Involuntarily, he smiles.

\- You are very intelligent. - he praises her.

\- Thanks. - Raven smiles back - Now, let us work.

* * *

When she opens the laptop Krumitz had left to her, Avery hesitates once before connecting the flash drive.

Her rational part knows that this is not the right thing to do - now she is a victim, and as a investigador, she always had advised the victims to leave all the shares in the hands of justice. However, she had never been so close to her hacker before that moment, and all she wants is to end it. Once and for all.

The target tried to get her attention. What had happened to Richard Chan was a reminder of what had happened in New York when he had stolen the files of her patients. Nelson had agreed the monster, and it stimulated him. That was part of his endgame.

Avery realized that she had always been the planned victim of her hacker. Her print in the hourglass of Dr. Chan's crime scene was a message, a way to ensure that she would be involved. He had sat and waited, preparing for that day.

And it had arrived.

Avery copies the video file and opens it, smiling and crying at the same time to see it. Her hacker had been smart to use that file to spy on her all those years. He knew she would have it wherever she was, in any computer that she used.

When the video ends, Avery wipes away the tears and takes a deep breath.

\- I know you hacked my computer. - she says, looking at the webcam - I know you're watching me. You have my attention. What do you want now?

Seconds later, a text box opens in front of her. Avery follows the words taking shape.

 _"I want to see you. In person. 60 Arizona Ave. Sparrow's Point."_

With trembling hands and heart pounding, she writes down the address on a sheet of paper.

"Come alone. Leave your phone. No devices. Find 805. Use code 2-0-0-5."

Then she gets up, determined to face whatever was in the way.

For a moment, she thinks about Nelson and how he would not approve her attitude. Her young and overprotective boyfriend would go crazy with worry, but under any circumstances she would involve him in that.

 _"Forgive me, Nelson."_ she thinks, leaving the house _"We'll see us soon. I promise."_

* * *

\- Krumitz, what's going on?

Elijah rushes in the main control room, that had just become a little chaos.

Virus alert sounds from every device in the Cyber Division, and none of them have any idea what's going on.

\- I do not know. - responds Krumitz - Something went wrong. Excuse? - he interrupts a girl talking on the phone - One of our computers has been infected with a malicious code.

Nelson gasps with the finding, and runs toward them.

\- The Cyber has been hacked? - he asks incredulously.

\- With the same code we found in Dr. Chan's and Avery's computers.

\- How did this happen?

\- We infected ourselves? - suggests Elijah.

\- No. - Krumitz looks away from one of the computers and stares him - It seems it was Avery who infected herself.

Elijah frowns.

\- I thought you had taken all her devices.

\- Yes, but I left her with a FBI laptop.

\- Still ... she needs the video in the flash drive.

A horrible idea goes in Nelson's mind.

\- Wait! - he runs to his desk, looking for the flash drive. - It's gone!

\- What? - Elijah asks, looking at him confused.

\- The flash drive! - he shakes his hands with horror - I put it here!

\- Avery is planning something. - Krumitz's voice sounds emphasizing his thoughts - She does not want us to know what she's doing.

When Avery does not answers any of his calls, Nelson has the painful sure she is in danger.

* * *

Nelson had slept only two hours that night.

Even that short sleep time was not willingly, but because his body had forced him. Somehow, that anguish was even greater than what he had felt when Avery was injured in serious condition. Now, she was missing, and all he wanted was to punch himself.

\- It's not your fault, Nelson. - Raven tells by his side, as if she could read his mind - You know it. There wasn't a way for you to know what she was thinking.

\- I searched for him. - his voice is low and emotionless - I teased him, and he came for her. Because of me, now he can to hurt her.

\- It will not come to that, brother. - Krumitz touches his shoulder - We'll get this guy, and believe me, he will regret.

\- If I can put my hands on him ... - Nelson tightens his fists, feeling the anger boiling in his blood - I swear ...

\- It's all right. - Krummitz interrupts - Focus. Here is the laptop that Avery's ex husband gave us. The first device the hacker infected.

Nelson sighs, looking at the small and old computer in front of him.

He is not even surprised or jealous for the newly discovered information. Seems trite and irrelevant the fact Avery to have an ex-husband, having been married one day. The determination to find her nullifies all his other thoughts. Maybe it has some relevance in the future, but not now.

\- The RAT is in this computer for years. - he says, staring at the screen - Avery had no way of knowing. But the hacker had to leave some digital dust. - he looks to Krummitz over his shoulder - Pull all logs of each connected device.

Krummitz crosses the room to the table where is one of Avery's laptops, and Nelson and Raven follow him.

\- This PC should have been connected to dozens of external devices throughout its life. - says Raven.

\- We are looking for the outlier.

A huge list in green letters flicks in the screen until the search ends.

\- There! The devices in this list were connected several times, except this pen drive. - the status of the device is highlighted in blue - Only once. This is the RAT. It has to be.

\- How did the hacker had access to Avery's laptop on the first place? - Raven asks, looking at Krummitz.

\- Good question. The transfer occurred on a Wednesday at 2:34 PM.

Raven looks at Nelson, as if she had just had an insight.

\- Business hours.

\- It's a patient. - He completes her thought.

They run to the old Avery's laptop and Krummitz starts accessing the data.

\- We have her former address book here. At that date and time ... She was on session. With Logan Reeves. Patient exhibits paranoid and delusional tendencies. Anxiety. Anger. Potential early onset psychotic disorder. Not a danger to himself or others at this time.

\- Well. - Nelson sighs feeling exhausted - That's comforting.

\- Not so fast. - mutters Raven in front of a computer on the other side of the room - According to FBI database, over the last ten years, Logan Reeves was arrested several times. All on violence charges.

Nelson's heart freezes.

The hacker was a psychotic and violent madman.

Avery. Where would be his Avery?

* * *

\- We must to find this guy fast. - Simon yells at everyone in the main room, pointing to a screen where is the picture and the criminal records of Logan. - Known. Old nicknames. Favorite substances. I want to know everything about Logan Reeves.

The room has a climate of urgency and tension. Nervously people talk on the phone, or seek data on computers. Every second that passes is a slow torture for Nelson, is a second longer that distances him of the chance to get Avery back.

\- I have Logan's last known address. - Elijah announces entering the room - Saratoga Spring. Mental institution. Unfortunately closed down over one year ago.

\- And the patients? - Simon asks.

\- Back to the streets. No monitoring. No clues.

Nelson feels a murderous fury running through his veins. A fury mixed with despair.

\- You got to be kidding! It's not possible! There must be something more we can do! There has to be!

\- Calm down, Nelson. - Raven holds his hand, and only then he realizes that he is panting - It's okay. It's gonna be okay. Listen, we'll get this guy and save Avery. Somehow.

Her eyes are so fixed and penetrating that he can almost believe her. Raven always had an unshakable confidence in everything, an optimism above what anyone would have among the situations they faced. Most of the time, she was right in what she said, and he just hoped she was right now also.

In this moment, Elijah's phone rings.

\- Here is Elijah Mundo. - he answers. Then, his eyes widen. - Avery?

Nelson gasps and his heart races so suddenly that hurts. He reaches Elijah in two steps and needs a lot of effort not to pull out the phone from his hands.

 _"It's me."_ Avery says in a hoarse and shapeless voice, as if choking _"Four, eight, two, six ... Riverside Street. It's... carbon monoxide."_

A noise is heard across the line, and Avery does not say anything else.

\- Avery? - Elijah calls - Avery?

Silence.

* * *

When the team arrives at the place, Nelson practically flies out of the car, as well as all others.

At his side are Raven and Krumitz, and ahead of him, Elijah runs accompanied by a SWAT team.

The place where they are looks like an abandoned factory, and the only possible entrance is a large steel gate. Elijah forces it, but it is locked.

\- It's a door with numeric keypad! - shouts Krumitz over the noise of sirens - Elijah! Elijah! We get this.

\- It's ok. Come on, Krumitz.

Krumitz rips out the numeric keypad with a tool, and the two begin to work with the wires. Nelson can hear the beating of his own heart, and focuses on his work as if his life were at stake.

Avery's life was at stake, and it meant exactly the same.

\- Went in? - Asks Raven operating the computer.

\- Just another minute. - Nelson responds gasping - Ready!

Raven types a few times, and the door opens.

\- We are in!

\- Okay, guys! - Simon says to the team accompanying Elijah - Come on!

Elijah is the first to enter, and then, one by one, the agents of SWAT follow him with weapons drawn and wearing special masks. The first impulse Nelson has is to follow them, but Raven pulls his arm.

\- Hey, Nelson! Are you crazy? You can not go in there or will die poisoned!

He stares her for a while, but does not argue, knowing that she's right.

The minutes that pass are full of anxiety, fear and anticipation.

A paramedical team enter the place and stay there for a while Nelson feels like an eternity. At the moment he is about loosen up of Raven and to enter ignoring all danger, the medical team crosses the gates pushing a stretcher, and on it is Avery.

There is a fine oxygen cannula under her nostrils, and she is unconscious. A second later he sees her, Nelson rushes. Raven follows him.

\- Avery? - he takes her hand and squeezes it - Avery? Can you hear me? Avery?

He calls her name a few times, and then her eyes begin to open. At first, she's confused, but soon as she focuses on his face, her expression freezes.

\- Nelson? - she whispers weakly.

\- Avery ... - he smiles while breathing exasperatedly - Thank God.

Nelson feels as if his breath had finally been returned after 15 long agonizing hours, as if the weight of a rock had just been removed from his chest.

So, Elijah, Simon and Krumitz approach, but Nelson do not looks at them. He just can not take his eyes of Avery.

\- You made us worried for a moment. - says Elijah.

Avery takes a hand to her head and grimaces in pain.

\- My head... is exploding. How long I was unconscious?

\- Just a few minutes. - Nelson responds - It's all right. You are right now.

\- Logan ...

\- You got him, Avery. - answers Simon - It's over now.

Simon looks back, and everyone do the same.

Logan Reeves is contained by two FBI agents that hold him strongly. Still, he has a totally cold expression and a maniac look. Before being pushed into a car, he takes a last look at Avery. Instinctively, Nelson squeezes her hand harder.

\- No. - she looks for each team member, and then her eyes fixate on Nelson - We got him. We all together.

Their eyes attract each other like magnets and burn like glowing flames.

 _"Go to hell."_ Nelson thinks while staring her _"I just be about to lose her. For the damned second time."_

Then, he leans on the stretcher and kisses her. In front of the whole team.

According to the discretion protocol they followed religiously, that was something they could never do under any circumstances. However, they had created those rules to normal situations, and that definitely was not a normal situation.

By the way Avery kisses him back, he knows that at that moment she also does not care.

\- Never again ... - he whispers holding her face and touching his forehead to her's - Do not ever do this to me again. You heard?

\- Forgive me. - she murmurs, looking at him as if she did not believe he was real and was there with her - I promise.

When they separate and Nelson looks back, Elijah is smiling, Krumitz is red like a tomato, and Raven is biting her lip and looking down, seeming very interested in the color of her shoes.

\- Uh ... - he rehearses something to say, but his voice does not comes out.

\- I think our job is done here. - Elijah saves him from having to say something. - Let's go.

Nelson looks at Avery and smiles, and she smiles back. For the first time in a long time, he is sure that all is well.

* * *

The video has exactly two minutes, and they are the longer two minutes of Nelson's life.

His hand is heavily intertwined with Avery's, but his eyes can not leave the screen even after the video ends. Avery's hand is shaking, and through his peripheral vision, he can see a tear running down her face.

It is a strange feeling that invades him.

For a second, he's a kid - the stupid and immature kid who had hacked the stock market to feed his ego. Just a kid. Because Nelson know he would have to live a lot more, to suffer a lot more, to be able to at least understand Avery's pain.

He desperately wants to comfort her, to tell her something, but his mind is blank. He does not remember a day had felt that way, as if the ground was not under his feet.

\- She was a beautiful child. - he says, looking at Avery after longs silent seconds.

Avery nods and smiles while wipes a tear.

\- Yes, she was. - she closes the laptop and puts it at her side - Soap bubbles were her favorite thing in the world. Every time I see soap bubbles somewhere, it's just her face that I see in my mind.

Nelson feels utterly helpless before Avery's pain. He always had a huge desire to know about her past, to unravel her, to understand the why of that shadow of sadness in her eyes, even in the joyful moments. He never imagined, even in his deepest reveries, that the reason was this: a dead daughter. Dead as a child.

He can not imagine a greater pain in a person's life.

\- Avery ... I'm fully aware that nothing I say or do will make it better, and I know this may sound like empty comforting words, but ... I'm sorry. I really, really sorry.

Avery shakes her head in denial.

\- They are not empty words if they come from you.

He reaches out and takes away a strand of her hair to behind her ear.

\- You did not need have told me it, did not need to remind something that brings you so much pain.

\- You are part of my life now. - she says - It would be unfair not let you know. And you're wrong when you say you can not do anything, because you already did. And you keeps doing, every day, just being here, loving me.

Avery covers his hand with hers. The touch is warm and pleasant, and Nelson is aware of everything about her. Since the red color that crying had caused on her face, the wet shine in her eyes, until the smooth movement of her chest as she breathes. And he feels in devastating way how much he loves her with every fiber of his being.

\- Since Hannah is gone - she continues - I had never been able to smile as much and as easily like now. I never thought I could come back to feel so alive. My pain will never go away, Nelson. It will always be here as part of me, but you showed me that I can be happy in spite of my pain, and I love you like I never thought I could love again.

\- Avery ...

He knows he can not answer this with words, and does not even tries. Instead, he simply kisses her. Ardently.

Kissing her was a feast for his senses. It was like to be with feet off the ground, and floating in space in a world apart, where everything was not Avery had absolutely no importance. There was nothing like to the pleasure that gave him the taste of her lips, the heat of her tongue moving with his. Nothing was more entrancing than her scent invading his nostrils when he was so close to her neck. Nothing was better than listening to her soft sighs, and feel her fingers crawling on his neck, making his body vibrating with desire. Avery was a delicious addiction which he had no intention to heal up.

\- I really need to say something? You know, I'm bad with words.

Avery shakes her head in denial.

\- No. It's not necessary to say. We both already know.

He nods, and then kisses her again, letting her feel in his kiss all that words can not say.

They see the silence that follows as a promise. Promise that they would always be together. Nelson knew that life could hurt them - like had hurt Avery with the early loss of her daughter - but he had also learned one thing: they could be healed. They would heal each other as many times as necessary with the most powerful remedy that existed: love.

…

 **I was strongly inspired by "Divergent" that last paragraph! ;)**

 **I hope you enjoyed!**


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